Stage 3 Breast Cancer Treatment
submitted: Sep 3rd 2008 |
by: DarrylOyola |
Total views: 1 |
Word Count: 504 |
| 
Which treatments are used is determined by which stage the cancer is in as well as where it is located and how big the tumor is found to be. Treatments for breast cancer are: chemotherapy, hormone therapy, radiation therapy, lumpectomy, mastectomy and lymphatic tissue removal.
The Beginning Stage
At stage 0, a blockage is found in the mammary or the ducts in the mammary. The first type, lobular carcinoma, is not yet deadly and usually the doctor will keep an eye on it by having the patient come in for frequent visits. Even with early cancer, the very fact that a tumor has formed in one breast makes the risk for cancer in the other much higher. Recently, many women have found it more acceptable to have a double mastectomy than to wait and find out if they will have cancer in the other breast and how far it will go. Ductal carcinoma is usually removed and the surgery is followed with other forms of treatment. Breast removal is an option with ductal carcinoma, too.
The Middle to Late Stages
Whether or not a woman has a mastectomy is determined by the size, location and stage of cancer she has at diagnosis. Women also have choices because they are often unwilling to lose a breast so they try everything else before they allow their breast to be removed.
Chemotherapy is often given before a woman has surgery to see if the tumor will shrink. If it does, there is a better chance that she will not have to have her entire breast taken off.
The non-invasive treatments are almost always used regardless of whether or not surgery is done. Treating the cancer intensively makes survival more likely.
Once the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, there is no choice but to remove them from the axillary area. A mastectomy is also performed in this case.
The Last Stage of Cancer
In the fourth stage, it is too late to operate with any success. A woman may be treated with radiation, hormones and chemotherapy to allow her to live a while longer. Many women don't have these therapies and instead choose to be given supportive care. Supportive care offers pain management and stress therapies for a woman who is dying. Nothing is done to prolong her life but instead, the focus is on the quality of her life in the short time she has to live.
Reoccurrences of cancer do happen sometimes. If a woman is prepared and catches on very quickly, there is still a chance she will survive. If the cancer was "hiding" in the lymph nodes or elsewhere in the body, it is probably in its last stages. Supportive care is usually the best way to treat this stage of cancer.
Women are not the only ones who may develop breast cancer. Men are known to get it as well. It is a rare occurrence, but it does happen. When it does, their treatment options are the same as for breast cancer in women.
About the Author
What everybody ought to know about Treatments For Breast Cancer In Memphis Tn? Discover the little known treatments for breast cancer at http://www.breastcancerandtreatment.com/
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